San Marina

Young and promising Toronto alt-rock foursome shows nice range and a knack for building solid, layered tunes that can go from quiet and moody to bombastic and even fun. They’ll celebrate their first LP Either Or with a release party, joined by the Leslie Spits, Burn the Radio and Fighter/Lover. Silver Dollar, 9 p.m. - http://www.thestar.com

Firstly, a couple of things to make clear. This new band from Toronto are in no way related to Australian new-wave legends The Church, and this album isn't a reworking of, or has any connection to the similarly titled 'Either/Or' by US singer-songwriter Elliot Smith. This particular Church are a Canadian quartet who have just released their debut album 'Either Or', the follow-up to their first EP from 2011. Musically we're not really in the same vicinity as the aforementioned artists either, although Church are a guitar band and at times you could pick out a vague resemblance to the Aussie group, but this is more by chance than by design.

Very much a homemade affair, 'Either Or' was apparently recorded in a garage and a bathroom, and this isn't the only record we've reviewed recently that was recorded in a bathroom, so maybe there's an unusual new trend developing, or maybe the generally echoey acoustics found in such a location work well. Echo does play a part in these eight tracks along with a sharpness that compliments it well. The wonderfully titled 'Liquid Eggs, A Headache And Dirty Hands' is a visceral, modern garage-punk tune and one that sticks out upon first listen, along with the doo-wop by way of grunge that they create on standout 'Brittle And Bare' (and if you're thinking Urge Overkill then you're thinking incorrectly).

The song 'Pissed Jeans' is, presumably, a tribute to the band of the same name, and if you were to describe Church's music in terms of comparisons then, difficult as it may be to imagine, Pissed Jeans meets Los Campesinos! is pretty much what you're looking at. This will of course make more sense when you hear the record. There are glimpses of other scenes, bands and styles to be found; 'How Did I Get This Bored?' uses some neat surf guitar; 'I'm In The Way' comes courtesy of 1991's shoegaze and dreampop scenes; the title-track could fit any number of current North American alt-rock bands; we'll let you decide if they are ripping off anyone in particular on the ace 'Riff Off Of A Better Song'. Church are maybe not at the worship level quite yet, but they're on the right track. - http://thesoundofconfusionblog.blogspot.co.uk

Firstly, a couple of things to make clear. This new band from Toronto are in no way related to Australian new-wave legends The Church, and this album isn't a reworking of, or has any connection to the similarly titled 'Either/Or' by US singer-songwriter Elliot Smith. This particular Church are a Canadian quartet who have just released their debut album 'Either Or', the follow-up to their first EP from 2011. Musically we're not really in the same vicinity as the aforementioned artists either, although Church are a guitar band and at times you could pick out a vague resemblance to the Aussie group, but this is more by chance than by design.

Very much a homemade affair, 'Either Or' was apparently recorded in a garage and a bathroom, and this isn't the only record we've reviewed recently that was recorded in a bathroom, so maybe there's an unusual new trend developing, or maybe the generally echoey acoustics found in such a location work well. Echo does play a part in these eight tracks along with a sharpness that compliments it well. The wonderfully titled 'Liquid Eggs, A Headache And Dirty Hands' is a visceral, modern garage-punk tune and one that sticks out upon first listen, along with the doo-wop by way of grunge that they create on standout 'Brittle And Bare' (and if you're thinking Urge Overkill then you're thinking incorrectly).

The song 'Pissed Jeans' is, presumably, a tribute to the band of the same name, and if you were to describe Church's music in terms of comparisons then, difficult as it may be to imagine, Pissed Jeans meets Los Campesinos! is pretty much what you're looking at. This will of course make more sense when you hear the record. There are glimpses of other scenes, bands and styles to be found; 'How Did I Get This Bored?' uses some neat surf guitar; 'I'm In The Way' comes courtesy of 1991's shoegaze and dreampop scenes; the title-track could fit any number of current North American alt-rock bands; we'll let you decide if they are ripping off anyone in particular on the ace 'Riff Off Of A Better Song'. Church are maybe not at the worship level quite yet, but they're on the right track. - http://thesoundofconfusionblog.blogspot.co.uk

Last February I saw a show by a four-piece that went simply by the name Church. They were fairly new at the time, having just released their first EP before the band had even been finalized. They stood out in my mind because despite their recent conception as a band, they had so much chemistry and passion that you could easily be fooled into thinking they’d been around longer than they had.

Either Or is the band’s debut album and is the first recording that involved the band as it exists now. They certainly haven’t lost any passion or penchant for fuzzy guitars and wonderful dual vocals from Ryan Brownrigg and Marta Cikojevic. Most impressive of this record is how clear of an identity they have- no matter what genre might be influencing them, you’ll always know it’s a song by Church.

A few of the songs follow a soft-to-loud pattern, such as the opener “Lounge.” The guitar chords are somewhat tropical and are accompanied by a funky bass groove. Cikojevic then begins with vocals that are a mixture of singing and talking, and she builds up the volume as she saws a few lines. The closer “Rip Off a Better Song” begins with just a synth line and the occasional picked note on an acoustic guitar, with both Brownrigg and Cikojevic contributing vocals here. Before too long, the song explodes with intensity and loudness.

Other songs maintain their frenetic pace from beginning to finish, such as “Liquid Eggs, a Headache, and Dirty Hands.” Right from the get go there’s a flurry of drumming and guitar as Brownrigg begins to shout lines like “Carve his name on your hand.” The later parts of the song somehow increases the craziness even further. “Pissed Jeans” is similarly crazy, though with Cikojevic singing and the desperation in her vocals makes the song even more glorious.

“How did I get this Bored?” shows off great chemistry between the two vocalists and features perhaps the best lines of the album: “Why did I plant this tree/Thought it could be blessed but it’s a fucking mess.”

At eight songs, Either Or is a little short by album standards, but when all of the eight songs are as good as they are here it still feels like a complete album. It can be purchased on Bandcamp. - http://grayowlpoint.com

There is a melting pot in the indie music world that has been known to produce some of the most boring, uninspired songs ever to be heard. It fuels the hip heard-it-alls. “Nothing is unique anymore.”

So, when a band like Church release an album like Either Or with so many influence and genre tags, it is scary to think how obvious things might turn out. Against all odds, Either Or is the sort of indie album that deserves a different attitude. For all the jaunts they make into mapped territory, they also discover new places within those territories that have been either musically untapped or forgotten for a safer path.

An opener like “Lounge”, with its smokey den bass lines and summery strums, cleverly hides a quiet tremolo that recalls the endlessly perfect opening of Yeah Yeah Yeah’s “Maps”. Better still is the introduction of one of Church’s two vocalists, Marta Cikojevic, who’s brave and breathy voice is just short of strong here, leaving much to be surprised by later in the album. Her voice is dark and empowered but she sounds like she’s having a hell of a lot of fun too.

What follows is an album that tests the limits of genre exploration and succeeds for many reasons. One is the ordering of tracks. “Liquid Eggs, a Headache, and Dirty Hands” is an inspired follow up to “Lounge”. It reveals Ryan Brownrigg, the other Church vocalist, dragging each word across a muck of guitars and noise that thrive on a relentless velocity.

Then there’s “How Did I Get This Bored?”, and it is with this song that you begin to appreciate the chemistry that Church must have. They sound comfortable in their sharing of all things sonic. This is a song even more so then “Liquid Eggs…”, that will make you want to see Church live. A stand out is the mix of percussion like photographic static, knife slash strums and subdued synths, with each component becoming more intricate and integral to the track.

The rawness of Either Or is not detrimental. It makes the quiet moments warm and the loud moments invigorating (crank up “Pissed Jeans” and you’ll know what I mean).

I tried starting a sentence about the title track seventeen times but came to the conclusion that it is best to let the song speak for itself. All I’ll say is that “Either Or” is a bold statement from a new band. An extremely good, confident, bold statement.

Thus, in an era when everything is everything, Church embrace what they like about music and have fun with it. When it wraps with the ironically titled “Rip Off of a Better Song”, you’ll be admitting happily, “that was something!” - http://www.extremenonchalance.com

Natives to Southern Ontario, Church released their first full-length album Either Or late last year. The album bounces back and forth between genres, tapping into early punk rock, modern indie, and everything in between.

The first half of the album lulls the listener into a state of punk serenity. The raw recording almost sounds like a live recording captured in a bar, producing a cool and unique sound similar to underground bands from the punk revolution. Not surprisingly, the band claims the album was recorded in a garage and a bathroom. They didn’t focus on perfecting their recordings, and that’s all part of their charm. As such, Either Or is the perfect kind of album to see live.

The combination of female vocalist Marta Cikojevic and male vocalist Ryan Brownrigg rocks the album back and forth, with the desperation in Cikojevic’s voice contrasting with the powerful but steady voice of Brownrigg. Through this, they achieve a perfect emotional balance in their vocals.

The first highlight of the album is “Brittle and Bare”. In it, the purity of Cikojevic’s voice is on display, with a rhythm section that gives the listener the urge to pull out their lighter and wave it in the air. With some of the strongest lyrics of the album, this song shows the softer side of Church, and makes the listener fall in love with the band.
And then comes “Pissed Jeans”. This song spins the album 180° in a switch to powerful punk rock that demonstrates why Church isn’t just another generic Toronto indie band. The pounding drums in “Pissed Jeans” hit the listener at full force, while the howling vocals from Cikojevic echo amongst the instruments. The fast-paced, high energy song is less than two minutes long, but it’s one hell of a ride.
Although their first album (as a complete group) is only eight songs, Either Or demonstrates how Church can weave their music through several genres, giving their music its own unique feeling of punk rock audacity and soothing harmony. - http://katuwapitiya.com

Natives to Southern Ontario, Church released their first full-length album Either Or late last year. The album bounces back and forth between genres, tapping into early punk rock, modern indie, and everything in between.

The first half of the album lulls the listener into a state of punk serenity. The raw recording almost sounds like a live recording captured in a bar, producing a cool and unique sound similar to underground bands from the punk revolution. Not surprisingly, the band claims the album was recorded in a garage and a bathroom. They didn’t focus on perfecting their recordings, and that’s all part of their charm. As such, Either Or is the perfect kind of album to see live.

The combination of female vocalist Marta Cikojevic and male vocalist Ryan Brownrigg rocks the album back and forth, with the desperation in Cikojevic’s voice contrasting with the powerful but steady voice of Brownrigg. Through this, they achieve a perfect emotional balance in their vocals.

The first highlight of the album is “Brittle and Bare”. In it, the purity of Cikojevic’s voice is on display, with a rhythm section that gives the listener the urge to pull out their lighter and wave it in the air. With some of the strongest lyrics of the album, this song shows the softer side of Church, and makes the listener fall in love with the band.
And then comes “Pissed Jeans”. This song spins the album 180° in a switch to powerful punk rock that demonstrates why Church isn’t just another generic Toronto indie band. The pounding drums in “Pissed Jeans” hit the listener at full force, while the howling vocals from Cikojevic echo amongst the instruments. The fast-paced, high energy song is less than two minutes long, but it’s one hell of a ride.
Although their first album (as a complete group) is only eight songs, Either Or demonstrates how Church can weave their music through several genres, giving their music its own unique feeling of punk rock audacity and soothing harmony. - http://katuwapitiya.com